Missouri Gov. Nixon seeks Medicaid answers from feds

JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Jay Nixon wants to know what modifications to Missouri's Medicaid system may be acceptable to federal health care officials.

Nixon was to talk on the phone Tuesday with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about a potential Medicaid expansion. Specifically, Nixon wants to know how much flexibility Missouri has to make market-based changes or require co-payments from adults earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level, which is about $27,000 annually for a family of three.

Sebelius has said previously that states must expand Medicaid to that level in order to qualify for full federal funding.

Earlier Tuesday, Nixon met with Republican senators about a Medicaid expansion. He said it was a substantive, thoughtful discussion.

So far, however, Republicans have been reluctant to embrace the Medicaid expansion.